Spend enough time browsing company websites, scrolling through LinkedIn or reading workplace communications and you may notice something strange.
Everyone sounds… nice.
They’re warm, friendly, approachable, passionate about people, committed to making a difference, and occasionally excited to announce something.
There is nothing wrong with any of that. Most of us would rather hear from an organisation that sounds human than one that communicates exclusively through formal statements and words like utilise.
But somewhere along the way, sounding human has started to mean sounding the same.
Welcome to the beigeification of brand voice.
Fifty shades of friendly
Over the past few years, organisations have worked hard to loosen their collars. This is progress.
The problem is that many organisations are drawing from the same small collection of traits. They want to be human, honest, friendly, clear, confident and conversational. Again, these are all good qualities. But they are also qualities almost anyone could claim.
Imagine a room full of people who are all friendly, approachable and helpful. You would probably enjoy spending time with them. But those qualities alone would not help you tell one person from another.
What makes someone memorable is more specific. Perhaps they are endlessly curious or dryly funny? They might be calm in a crisis or brilliant at making complicated things feel simple. They could be the person who asks the unexpected question or always has a story that brings the subject to life.
A recognisable brand voice works in much the same way – it’s not about sounding human, it’s about sounding like a specific human.
Enter AI, wearing a lovely neutral jumper
AI did not create this problem, but it certainly help it spread.
Ask an AI tool to improve a piece of writing and, unless you give it a clear sense of character and context, it will often make that writing smoother, friendlier and more polished.
It may also tell you that something is not ‘just’ an initiative, but a journey. It might sprinkle in a few phrases about coming together, unlocking potential or navigating an ever-changing world.
The result will probably be perfectly acceptable. But that is exactly the problem.
When the same tools are trained on the same broad pool of language and given the same vague instructions – ‘to make something more engaging, more human or more professional’ – they naturally move towards the middle.
The unique edges are removed, the unexpected choices disappear, and the sentences become grammatically sound, pleasantly phrased and almost impossible to remember.
Without something distinctive to work with, beige goes in and slightly shinier beige comes out.
Friendly is a starting point, not a personality
A tone of voice should do more than describe how an organisation wants to sound – it should reflect who that organisation is. It’s history, it’s purpose and its people.
Two organisations may both want to sound human, but that does not mean they should sound alike.
A water company with generations of local history might sound grounded, reassuring and quietly proud of its patch. A disruptive technology business might be energetic, curious and willing to challenge convention. A fire and rescue service may need a voice that is warm and direct, with the confidence to become calm and authoritative when the situation demands it.
The principle might be the same. The expression should not be.
This is where many tone of voice guides stop too soon. They define a handful of pleasant qualities, add a few writing tips and consider the voice complete.
We’ve all seen the instructions ‘Be clear. Use everyday language. Write as you speak. Avoid jargon.’
That’s useful advice, certainly. But it is advice that could belong to almost any organisation.
The more revealing questions are:
- What would only we say?
- What would we never say?
- What do we care enough to have an opinion about?
- What kind of humour, if any, belongs to us?
- What do we sound like when the news is difficult?
- Which words feel natural in the mouths of our people?
- If our logo disappeared, could anyone still recognise us?
That is where a voice begins to develop some colour.
Personality requires choices
Brands often want a voice that everyone will like. While that instinct is understandable, it can lead to language so carefully balanced that it says very little at all.
Being energetic might mean occasionally sounding a little excitable. Being plain-speaking might mean rejecting impressive-sounding language that senior people rather enjoy. Being warm might mean acknowledging emotion rather than hiding behind procedure. Being playful means accepting that not every line will appeal equally to everyone.
This does not mean forcing jokes into a bill reminder or turning a service update into a stand-up routine. A distinctive voice still needs judgement. It needs range, too.
Humans do not speak in exactly the same way at a celebration, during an emergency and while explaining how to fill in a form. A good brand voice should flex with the moment without losing its identity.
The character stays consistent. It’s the volume that changes and flexes.
Here are a couple of examples we love:
Add some colour back in
The solution to beige brand voice is not to make every organisation louder, quirkier or covered in verbal glitter.
Distinctive does not have to mean eccentric. A voice can be quiet and still be unmistakable. It can be serious without being stiff. Warm without becoming sugary, and clear without sounding stripped of character.
The aim is not to be different for the sake of it. It is to sound recognisably, consistently and truthfully like you. Being friendly might make people feel comfortable – but being memorable gives them a reason to recognise you again.
Ready to find your voice?
If your organisation is beginning to sound a little too much like everyone else, we can help bring the colour back.
At Alive, we work with organisations to uncover what makes their voice distinctive, then turn it into something people can genuinely use. That might mean developing a tone of voice from scratch, refreshing one that no longer feels quite right or helping your people build the confidence to put it into practice.
We believe that tone of voice should not live quietly in a brand document. It should be heard in the everyday messages, conversations and experiences that shape how people see you.
If your brand voice could do with a little less beige and a little more you, send us a message.
